Hatcher+ and Wholesale Investor launching A$10m fund for Australian and New Zealand startups

SINGAPORE-BASED early-stage venture capital (VC) firm Hatcher+ is forming a joint venture in Australia with Sydney-based investment platform Wholesale Investor, with the aim of raising a A$10 million (S$10.23 million) fund.

The fund will invest in more than 50 technology startups in Australia and New Zealand that are in the seed stage to Series A stage; a portion of capital will be reserved for international startups. It will primarily follow the Hatcher+ data-driven approach to venture investing. Hatcher+, which has Mistletoe Group, Coca-Cola Amatil and Midis Group among its limited partners, said it has analysed over 600,000 VC transactions.

The partnership will also make use of both companies' existing network that include leading incubators, accelerators and research groups in order to generate a strong deal flow.

Wholesale Investor's platform has showcased over 50 companies that have gone on to exit, including Booktopia, Aroa Biosurgery, MadPaws, Ai-Media Banxa, 4D Medical, MyDeal.com.au and Essential Queensland (now Australia-listed Leaf Resources).

John Sharp, founding partner of Hatcher+, said: "The early-stage investment scene is going through a period of massive growth and investors are no longer looking to simply be passive participants - they want to add value in addition to capital, form groups with like-minded individuals and family offices, and get direct access to meaningful data."

The alliance with Wholesale Investor will allow investors to find deals more easily, be better informed about a company's progress, and engage more directly with founders, he added.